Chapter 25 #2
Jude laughs like the loon that he is before releasing me to don his own jacket and helmet, and heads over to a beautiful teal and cream bike, an Indian if I'm not mistaken. He slings his leg over, turning to give me a wink before tearing out of the garage with a deep rumble noise.
“Ready, Little Bird?” Knox asks in a pitch not unlike that of Jude’s motorbike, and I see that he’s gotten on his own bike, a matt black Indian that makes him look hella sexy.
My lips split into a wide grin as I approach, taking up the position behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist as my thighs tighten either side of his.
“Ready.”
“Hold on tight, princess.”
It’s all the warning I get before he starts the engine, the vibrations beneath me doing things that they really shouldn’t, as he also peels out of the garage in a squeak of tires.
I scream in delight as we race down the road, the sound lost in the roar of the engine and the whistle of the wind as we make our way out of town, and soon we’re surrounded by forest with the mountains in the distance and the early fall sun beating down on us.
I take a huge inhale of the sweet, fresh air, letting my lungs fill for what feels like the first time.
The freedom of being on the back of Knox's bike, the wind rushing past us is heady and unlike anything I've ever experienced. Before I can think better of it, I let go of Knox's waist, gripping tightly with my thighs and holding my arms out either side of me.
“Fuuuuuck!!!!” I scream into the wind, feeling Knox chuckle in front of me, his body adding to the vibrations of the engine.
The mountains and forest soon turn to rolling hills, and then we're pulling into a gravel drive, stopping in front of a beautiful, old-looking building that’s painted a soft, sage green.
Tall leafy trees line the curving drive, and there's a huge columned balcony that makes up the front entrance. There’s so many large cream windows covering the front that I lose count.
The whole place has a calm and peaceful feel, and as I take my helmet off, swinging my leg over the back of the bike to get off, I can’t help but take a deep inhale of floral-scented fresh air.
“It's beautiful here,” I whisper, and strong arms wrap around me from behind, the scent of cloves and motor oil surrounding me.
“I love seeing you so free, Little Bird,” Knox murmurs in my ear, pulling me in closer as he presses a light kiss to my temple.
Turning in his arms, I bring mine up and wrap them around his neck. “Thank you, Knox.”
“Anytime, princess.”
He lowers his face, his lips teasing me for a moment before he presses them to mine in a kiss that tastes like freedom and adventure. I kiss him back hard, inhaling everything he’s offering and letting it fill me up like a life-giving elixir.
The growl of an engine interrupts us, and I break the kiss to look over as Aeron's sports car pulls into the spot next to Knox's bike. The car has barely parked when the driver's door flings open, and Aeron leaps out, storming over and yanking me away from Knox, gripping my upper arms tightly.
“Hey—”
“Don't you ever fucking behave so recklessly again, Dove. Understand?” Aeron's eyes are wild, and he's trembling with fury. Or perhaps it's more akin to fright?
“Hey,” I say again, more softly this time as I free one arm, bringing my hand up to cup his cheek. “I'm okay, Devil Man.” His jaw works, his usually pristine hair ruffled as he stares at me. His chest is heaving against mine, and a twinge of guilt makes my own ribcage tight. “I'm sorry.”
He closes his eyes whilst taking in a deep inhale. “No, Dove, I'm sorry. I just—” He cuts himself off, opening his eyes to look deeply into mine. “I can't lose you. Not now.”
My breath catches and my throat constricts. I'm not used to this sort of affection, the kind that doesn't come in the form of a backhand across your face. “You won't.”
Won't he?
I shut that bitch down, not ready to face that reality just yet. I'll have to soon, freedom comes at a price after all, but not now.
He looks at me for a beat longer, then drops his lips to mine in a bruising kiss. Tingles race across my skin as he devours my mouth, and my hand moves into his hair, clutching it for dear life as he defies anything to try and take me from him.
Just as suddenly as he started, he stops, pulling away but keeping his firm grip on my arm.
“Let's go.”
Blinking, my panties fucking ruined, it takes me a hot minute to process his order. His hand slips down my arm, tangling our fingers as he holds my hand, still staring at me.
“S–sure,” I stutter out, licking my lips and feeling a flash of heat in my center when his dark eyes zoom in on the gesture.
“It's your own fault, Nightingale.” Jude laughs, grabbing my other hand. “You make him go all alpha possessive. It’s hot as fuck, right?”
“Firstly, where the fuck did you come from?” I ask as we start walking, Aeron giving a deep chuckle on my other side. “And secondly, how the fuck is his needing to piss all over me like a dog claiming his territory my fault?” A growl from said alpha has my core tightening. God-fucking-dammit.
“I got here first before all you slow pokes,” Jude answers as we approach the huge glass-paned doors and walk through. “And I don't know if you know this, Nightingale, but you have this whole broken bird that needs rescuing vibe.”
“You kidnapped me!” I screech, my eyes going wide when several heads in the lobby turn and stare at us with slack jaws.
“Not technically us,” Tarl says on the other side of Jude, a shit-stirring grin on his face.
I clench my teeth. “Semantics.”
“The devil is in the details, Dove,” Aeron adds, striding towards the front desk with a confidence that is too fucking hot.
“You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Devil Man?”
A bark of laughter falls from his plush lips, the others guffawing, and my heart swells in my chest at the normalcy of this. Of us just poking fun at each other. It's…nice. More than nice. Sure, it’s about my kidnapping, but whatever, it’s still more normal than I’ve had in a long fucking time.
“Good morning, Mr. Taylor,” a cheerful voice greets us as we stop in front of a light, wooden reception desk. “And Mr. Taylor, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Ahmad.” She's older, with light blonde hair cut in a cute bob and a bright smile plastered on her lightly made up face.
“Good morning, Janet,” Aeron smoothly replies. “Looking beautiful as always.”
I press my lips together to suppress the surprised smile that wants to form at his flattery. I've not seen this side of him before, and I find that I love it.
“Oh, you!” She blushes, laughing and flipping a hand in his direction. “Flattery will get you everywhere. Mrs. Taylor is in the Orangey this morning.”
“Thank you, Janet,” Aeron says, squeezing my hand before leading me towards a set of double doors.
I barely get to take in the bright, airy opulence of the foyer before I'm pulled through the doors and into a light hallway lined with windows and landscape paintings.
“This place is unreal,” I say, gazing with wide eyes at the beautiful worlds in their gold frames.
“It's the best money can buy,” Aeron states, his voice oddly without emotion and I look up to see the lines around his eyes are tight, his mouth turned down into a frown. Still holding my hand, he leads the way, Jude not letting go of my other. “She's very…comfortable here.”
The way he says the last part has a knot forming in my stomach, the early fall sunshine doing nothing to chase away the chill his words leave.
We soon arrive at another set of double doors, the glass in them showing a glimpse of an illuminated room beyond, the huge windows that make up most of the walls letting in every scrap of sunshine.
Aeron pauses, so we all do. I watch as he takes a deep breath, squaring his shoulders as if he’s preparing to face his demons, and then pushes the doors open.
I blink at the brightness of the Orangey, and it takes a second for my eyes to adjust enough to make out the frail figure sitting in a rattan chair, swathed in blankets.
“Mom?” Aeron's voice is softer than I've ever heard it, his grip on my hand painfully tight as he holds it like it's the only thing keeping him tethered to this world.
“Oh, boys. How lovely to see you.” Her voice is like the fluttering of a small bird's wings, light and barely there.
“Hey, Mom,” Jude says, also keeping his voice low. He lets go of my hand before walking over to her and pressing a kiss on her cheek.
I study her; she's beautiful in an ethereal kind of way. She’s probably around fifty, although it’s hard to tell as sadness lines her face and hunches her shoulders, so she could be younger.
She’s thin, painfully so, and a thick shawl is draped over her shoulders even though the room is warm.
Unlike the brothers, she has startling, blue eyes and blonde hair that is dry and brittle-looking but still falls in loose waves around her.
“Hello, Mrs. Taylor,” Tarl greets, also stepping up to her and kissing her softly on the cheek.
“Tarl, so nice to see you, dear boy.” She cups his cheek, looking him over. “Have you been sleeping enough, you look tired.” Jude snorts at that, knowing exactly why Tarl might look tired after last night. Fucker.
“Hey, Heather,” Knox says, walking over until I'm left with just Aeron.
“Knox! I hope you're still keeping these boys in line for me.” She laughs, and I want to wince at the broken noise. Her eyes go distant in an instant, her face dropping as if she’s thinking of something sad. My heart aches at that look of desolation.
“Mom?” Aeron questions in that soft, calm tone he used before. She turns to look at him, a small smile coming onto her face. “I wanted you to meet someone.”
He tugs me forward, and my heart beats wildly in my chest as her gaze fastens onto mine, her eyes widening.
“Julie?”
My mouth drops open, no words escaping as I hear my mother’s name for the first time in years.